Segments
Rule-based audiences that stay current, with the full field and operator reference.
A segment is a saved set of rules that selects contacts automatically. Nothing is stored in a segment; it is evaluated fresh every time you use it, so it is always current.
A segment counts every contact matching its rules, whatever their status. A campaign only ever mails contacts whose status is Subscribed, so the number beside a segment on this page is usually larger than the number that would receive an email. The campaign editor shows the smaller, truthful figure once you attach the segment.
Both are right. A segment answers “who matches?”, which matters for reporting and automations too; a campaign answers “who gets this?”.
Engagement rules
As well as contact details, a segment can ask what somebody has done with your email:
| Rule | Matches |
|---|---|
| Opened / Clicked an email | Ever, never, in the last N days, or not in the last N days. Counts campaigns and automations. |
| Opened / Clicked a specific campaign | Pick any campaign you have sent. |
| Opened / Clicked their last email | The most recent email sent to that contact — not the most recent campaign you sent, which is a different question for anyone who joined recently. |
Transactional email never counts. Opening a password reset says nothing about whether somebody wants your marketing, and letting it count would hide the people who have stopped paying attention.
An open is recorded when a tracking pixel loads. Somebody reading in a preview pane with images blocked looks identical to somebody ignoring you, and Apple's Mail Privacy Protection loads pixels for people who never opened anything. Clicks are the reliable signal; treat opens as a strong hint. Segment on them by all means — just do not delete anybody on their evidence alone.
The Deliverability page uses these to flag contacts who have been sent several emails and opened none in six months, and offers a one-click segment of everyone who is still reading.
Building one
Go to Segments → New segment, then add rules. Each rule is a field, an operator and a value. Choose whether a contact must match all rules or any of them.
Fields you can filter on
| Type | Fields |
|---|---|
| Text | Email, First name, Last name, Phone, Company, Job title, City, State, Postcode, Country, Source |
| Status | Subscription status |
| Tags | Tags |
| Date | Date added |
| Custom | Any custom field you have created |
Operators
| Operator | Applies to | Matches when |
|---|---|---|
| is / is not | Text, status | The value matches exactly, or does not |
| contains / does not contain | Text | The value appears anywhere in the field |
| starts with / ends with | Text | The value is at the beginning or end |
| is set / is not set | Text, custom | The field has any value, or is empty |
| has / does not have | Tags | The contact carries that tag, or does not |
| before / after | Dates | The date falls either side of the one you pick |
Using a segment
Pick it as a campaign audience, on its own or alongside lists. When you combine them, everyone matched by any list or segment receives the campaign, deduplicated.
Whatever your rules say, sending always excludes contacts who are not subscribed. You cannot accidentally build a segment that mails unsubscribed people.
Let AI write it
In AI Studio you can describe an audience in plain English and get a draft segment definition, which you can review and adjust before saving.
Something unclear or wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.